Floatation-type mattress filled with fluidized balls

ABSTRACT

Provided is a floatation-type mattress filled with fluidized balls, wherein: a tunnel is fully filled with balls along the periphery of the mattress body; a container is merged and connected with a lower plate made of a stiff mesh and an upper plate made of a flexible mesh; multiple columns are arranged inside the container and configured to be pressed vertically; the container is filled with lightweight fluidized small balls; and dynamic equilibrium according to Pascal&#39;s principle evenly distributes weight such that, regardless of the angle of bent surfaces of the human body, weight is evenly distributed over all body connection surfaces, thereby providing equilibrium. The floatation-type mattress comforts a person as if he/she is floating on the Dead Sea, has good ventilation, and can be used in a bedroom. The floatation-type mattress prevents or alleviates pressure ulcers occurring to a person restricted to lying in bed for a long period of time.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a floatable mattress filled with fluidizable spheres 50, and more particularly to a “floatable mattress filled with fluidizable spheres 50” (hereinafter referred to as a “‘floatable mattress”) configured such that spheres 50, which fill the interior of the mattress, serve as a fluid, and the spheres move along the curved shape of the human body that lies on the mattress due to the weight of the human body in the state of being in contact therewith according to Pascal's law, whereby it is possible to improve comfort based on a floating effect in which the weight of the human body is evenly distributed over the surface of the human body that contact the mattress.

BACKGROUND ART

Patent Document 1—Korean Patent No. 10-1525989 (CHOI, Yung Jae) May 29, 2015: In a bead mattress patent by the applicant of the present application, a tube fully filled with beads is fixed using strings along the edge of the mattress in order to support the edge of the mattress, the interior of the mattress is partitioned into several sections in order to restrain a phenomenon in which the mattress undulates and the beads crowd, a cushion is added to the bottom of the mattress in order to alleviate a phenomenon in which the protruding portions of the human body strike the bottom of the mattress due to the weight of the human body, whereby the structure of the mattress is complicated, and functional effects based thereon are in partial equilibrium by section.

In addition, the quantity of sections that are filled with spheres must be minimized such that the width of each section is increased in order to improve floatability. In this case, however, the hips may strike the bottom of the mattress unless the height of the mattress is considerably increased. Consequently, the quantity of spheres 50 is increased in proportion to an increase in the height of the mattress, and the mattress is not fixed in form in proportion to an increase in the width of each section, whereby the mattress is inconvenient to use.

Patent Document 2—U.S. Pat. No. 4,425,676 (Crane) Jan. 17, 1984: A mattress configured such that several sections defined in a mattress are loosely filled with small plastic spheres or beads having a size of 0.5 to 3 mm, the upper plate of the mattress is ventilated, the lower plate of the mattress is made of a hermetically sealed fabric, whereby air in the mattress is forcibly ventilated using a blower in order to prevent or alleviate a bedsore while providing a cushion.

Patent Document 3—US Patent Application Publication No. 2015/0047126 A1 (Klink et al.) Feb. 19, 2015: A container, into which air is injected from below and which has an upper plate, on which the human body lies and through which air flows, is filled with beads having a size of 50 to 150 μm, wherein the beads are floated by air pressure of a blower, thereby achieving a fluidic floating effect.

Patent Document 4—U.S. Pat. No. 6,934,990 (Rapisarda) Aug. 30, 2005: non-fluidic pellets having a specific gravity of 0.15 to 1 are introduced into a box constituting a bed, and a flexible cover is put on the box such that the human body is floated when the human body lies on the box.

DISCLOSURE Technical Problem

It is an object of the present invention to provide a floatable mattress configured to have a structure in which spheres, serving as a fluid, move along the curved shape of the human body in the state of being in tight contact therewith such that the weight of the human body is evenly distributed over the surface of the human body that contact the mattress based on fluid dynamics using the spheres as the fluid according to Pascal's law, whereby it is possible to replace cushions formed by springs or sponges, which act only in the vertically downward direction due to gravity.

In Patent Document 1, the interior of the mattress is partitioned into several sections, each of which is filled with spheres, and the tube, which is fully filled with the spheres, is attached using strings along the edge of the mattress in order to secure supportability of the edge of the mattress, whereby it is possible to sufficiently achieve a fundamental floating effect.

Since the number of sections, each of which is filled with the spheres, is merely several and thus each section has a large area, however, the protruding portions of the human body that lies on the mattress may easily push the fillers and may strike the bottom of the mattress. In order to solve this problem, the height of the mattress is increased. As a result, a large quantity of spheres, such as about 1.5 million spheres, is required, whereby a cost-related problem occurs.

In the aspect of effect, weight distribution varies by section.

In addition, the structure of the mattress is complicated, whereby it is difficult to manufacture the mattress, and convenience in washing the mattress is deteriorated.

In Patent Document 2, the upper plate and partitions of the mattress are made of a well-ventilated fabric, the mattress is partitioned into several sections, each of which is filled with beads, and compressed air is injected into the mattress in order to improve ventilation.

Since the mattress is partitioned into several sections, however, floatability is reduced. In addition, it is difficult to perform stitching for partition and to inject spheres into each of the sections.

Furthermore, this document does not even suggest a concept of injecting spheres.

Patent Document 3 relates to a floatable mattress manufactured for people having bedsores or people who have to lie in bed for a long period of time, wherein a single container, which is filled with small pellets having a size of 50 to 150 μm, is surrounded by a hermetically sealed wall, the lower plate of the container is made of a screen, through which compressed air is injected into the container, and the upper plate of the container is made of a coated fabric such that the pellets are floated by the compressed air.

The coated fabric, of which the upper plate is made, is not ventilated and does not emit sweat when the skin of the human body comes into contact therewith.

Since the compressed air is injected using the blower, considerable noise is generated, and a large amount of fine dust is generated.

In Patent Document 4, the box is filled with pellets having a specific gravity of 0.15 to 1 and a size of 8 to 12 μm, and is covered with a spandex fabric without partitioning the box into sections and without floating beads using the blower. However, the box is hardly fixed in form, and therefore it is difficult to control the human body when in actual use. In addition, it is not easy to go up to the bed and to come down from the bed.

Also, in the case in which no cover is provided, the specific gravity of the filling beads must be high. In the case in which specific gravity of small beads approximates to 1, however, the fluidity of the small beads is reduced.

In Patent Documents 3 and 4, the mattress, which is filled with beads, is integrally formed with a bed, and the weight of a single size bed is large, whereby it is difficult to easily purchase and use the bed.

In Magazine Document 1, water having high salinity, i.e. salty water, is contained in a tub in order to obtain a floating effect. The floating effect is perfect; however, it is not possible for a user to use the tub for several hours, since the user directly enters the salty water. In addition, it is not possible for patients having skin diseases, such as bedsores and burns or scalds, to use the tub. Furthermore, the tub is not suitable for sleeping.

Any known mattress cannot be washed using a washing machine for home use. Particularly, in the case in which the fabric of the mattress and the fillers in the container 70 are contaminated by pus, sweat, and keratin of a patient having a bedsore or a user who has to lie in bed for a long period of time, the entirety of the mattress must be newly reconfigured.

In the case of a mattress made of sponges, such as memory foam or latex, skin keratin and sweat are strongly suctioned into the mattress through a pumping action based on expansion and contraction of the mattress. As a result, the mattress becomes a hotbed for ticks and provides an unsanitary environment in which fine dust is generated, which are fundamental problems.

Sponges, such as memory foam, cannot be washed, and become inelastic over time. In addition, a large amount of fragments are generated from the sponges, whereby air is contaminated. Consequently, the sponges are unsanitary.

Even in the case of a mattress using springs, fragments are generated due to friction between the springs and pads, and fine dust is generated in the room in the same manner.

A mattress that is not integrally formed with a bed and that is filled with spheres has low solidity. Also, in the case in which a cover is put on the mattress in a conventional manner, the cover is easily separated from the mattress.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a floating effect based on general dynamic equilibrium and ventilation, which is seriously required for a mattress, without using water according to fluid dynamics of spheres.

While sleeping, a person continues to toss and turn. The dynamic equilibrium is a state of immediate balance between such postures.

It is another object of the present invention to arrange a tunnel 30 along the edge of a mattress, whereby it is possible to easily and simply provide supportability of the edge of the mattress.

It is another object of the present invention to arrange columns, which are configured to be pressed, in a mattress, which is filled with spheres, in order to achieve general dynamic equilibrium and to provide an injection port, through which the spheres are injected and removed.

Also, in order to prevent spheres 50, which fill the mattress, from being pushed by the protruding portions of the human body and thus to prevent the protruding portions of the human body from striking the bottom of the mattress, the depth of the container 70, which is filled with the spheres, is increased, whereby the container must be filled with a large quantity of spheres, such as about 1.5 million spheres. It is another object of the present invention to provide a floatable mattress configured such that plural columns 40, which are configured to be pressed, are arranged in the mattress, whereby it is possible to reduce the depth of the container without deterioration of floatability and thus to reduce the required quantity of spheres.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an eco-friendly floatable mattress configured such that, when the mattress is used worn, spheres 50, the function of which is not deteriorated at all, which thus has a semi-permanent effect, and which fill the interior of a container 70, are removed from the mattress, sanitized, and reused.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a mattress configured such that spheres are removed from the mattress in order to wash the entirety of the mattress using a washing machine for home use, thereby improving washing convenience.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a floatable mattress configured such that the interior of the mattress (a container) is filled with hollow spheres or wood spheres having low specific gravity, whereby it is possible to reduce the weight of the mattress.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a floatable mattress configured such that the specifications of a sewing thread used to stitch the mattress are set by calculating the force of acceleration based on the weight of the human body when the human body gets on a bed.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a floatable mattress configured such that webbing ribbons 34, which are used as a loop, are stitched horizontally along the outer wall 32 of a tunnel at intervals, and strings of a cover are tied to the loop in order to put the cover on the mattress, whereby it is possible to solve a problem in which the cover cannot be put on the mattress in a conventional manner, since the floatable mattress is lightweight, is not hard, and has low solidity.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a floatable mattress filled with fluidizable spheres that is configured so as not to be coupled to a bed, whereby the existing bed can be used as is.

Technical Solution

In order to accomplish the above objects, the present invention provides a floatable mattress configured to have a structure in which the “interior of the mattress” (hereinafter referred to as a “container”), formed by coupling a lower plate, which is made of a mesh, and an upper plate, which is made of a spandex mesh, to a tunnel along the edge of the mattress, is filled with fluidizable hollow spheres 50, wherein the specifications of each of the fluidizable hollow spheres are set as follows: the diameter Φ of the fluidizable hollow sphere is 6 to 8 mm, the thickness t of the skin of the fluidizable hollow sphere is 0.3 to 0.5 mm, and the density ρ of the fluidizable hollow sphere is 0.3 g/cm³ or less, and wherein each of the fluidizable hollow spheres is made of a synthetic resin, which has strength at which the fluidizable hollow sphere is not deformed by a lowest force of 12 N and has a low coefficient of surface friction such that the fluidizable hollow sphere well slides so as to serve as a smooth fluid.

Another hollow sphere may have a diameter (Φ) of 10 to 12 mm and a density (ρ) of 0.2 g/cm³ or less, and may be made of a synthetic resin, whereby the hollow sphere may be lighter.

For reference, the hollow spheres 50 have not yet been commercially mass-produced, but are ready to be produced by the applicant of the present application.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a floatable mattress configured such that webbing ribbons 34, which are used as a loop, are stitched horizontally along the outer wall 32 of a tunnel at intervals, and strings of a cover are tied to the loop in order to put the cover on the mattress, whereby it is possible to solve a problem in which the cover cannot be put on the mattress in a conventional manner, since the floatable mattress is lightweight, is not hard, and has low solidity.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a floatable mattress filled with fluidizable spheres that is configured so as not to be coupled to a bed, whereby the existing bed can be used as is.

In order to accomplish the above objects, the present invention provides a floatable mattress configured to have a structure in which the “interior of the mattress” (hereinafter referred to as a “container”), formed by coupling a lower plate, which is made of a mesh, and an upper plate, which is made of a spandex mesh, to a tunnel along the edge of the mattress, is filled with fluidizable hollow spheres 50, wherein the specifications of each of the fluidizable hollow spheres are set as follows: the diameter Φ of the fluidizable hollow sphere is 6 to 8 mm, the thickness t of the skin of the fluidizable hollow sphere is 0.3 to 0.5 mm, and the density ρ of the fluidizable hollow sphere is 0.3 g/cm³ or less, and wherein each of the fluidizable hollow spheres is made of a synthetic resin, which has strength at which the fluidizable hollow sphere is not deformed by a lowest force of 12 N and has a low coefficient of surface friction such that the fluidizable hollow sphere well slides so as to serve as a smooth fluid.

Another hollow sphere may have a diameter (Φ) of 10 to 12 mm and a density (ρ) of 0.2 g/cm³ or less, and may be made of a synthetic resin, whereby the hollow sphere may be lighter.

For reference, the hollow spheres 50 have not yet been commercially mass-produced, but are ready to be produced by the applicants of the present application.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a floatable mattress configured such that webbing ribbons 34, which are used as a loop, are stitched horizontally along the outer wall 32 of a tunnel at intervals, and strings of a cover are tied to the loop in order to put the cover on the mattress, whereby it is possible to solve a problem in which the cover cannot be put on the mattress in a conventional manner, since the floatable mattress is lightweight, is not hard, and has low solidity.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a floatable mattress filled with fluidizable spheres that is configured so as not to be coupled to a bed, whereby the existing bed can be used as is.

In order to accomplish the above objects, the present invention provides a floatable mattress configured to have a structure in which the “interior of the mattress” (hereinafter referred to as a “container”), formed by coupling a lower plate, which is made of a mesh, and an upper plate, which is made of a spandex mesh, to a tunnel along the edge of the mattress, is filled with fluidizable hollow spheres 50, wherein the specifications of each of the fluidizable hollow spheres are set as follows: the diameter Φ of the fluidizable hollow sphere is 6 to 8 mm, the thickness t of the skin of the fluidizable hollow sphere is 0.3 to 0.5 mm, and the density ρ of the fluidizable hollow sphere is 0.3 g/cm³ or less, and wherein each of the fluidizable hollow spheres is made of a synthetic resin, which has strength at which the fluidizable hollow sphere is not deformed by a lowest force of 12 N and has a low coefficient of surface friction such that the fluidizable hollow sphere well slides so as to serve as a smooth fluid.

Another hollow sphere may have a diameter (Φ) of 10 to 12 mm and a density (ρ) of 0.2 g/cm³ or less, and may be made of a synthetic resin, whereby the hollow sphere may be lighter.

For reference, the hollow spheres 50 have not yet been commercially mass-produced, but are ready to be produced by the applicant of the present application.

In the case in which a sphere is formed by foaming a synthetic resin, a smooth sphere 50, the surface of which is reinforced and which has a density ρ of 0.3 g/cm³ or less, a little elasticity in which the sphere is not deformed by a force of 6 N, and a diameter Φ of 6 mm to 8 mm, may be formed.

A wood sphere 50 may be made of a wood having a density ρ of 0.3 g/cm³ or less and a diameter Φ of 6 to 8 mm.

Another wood sphere 50 may have a diameter Φ of 10 to 12 mm. In the case in which the diameter of wood spheres is large, the required quantity of wood spheres may be smaller than in the case in which the diameter of wood spheres is small, whereby it is possible to considerably reduce costs.

Small spheres may provide soft contact with the skin and high comfort; however, costs may be high.

On the other hand, in the case in which the mattress is filled with large spheres, costs may be low; however, soft contact with the skin may be slightly deteriorated.

A nylon stitching thread of 210d/6 at minimum may be used as a sewing thread for stitching fabric of the floatable mattress such that stitched portions do not rupture even at the pressure caused by acceleration based on the weight of the human body.

A mattress filled with fluidizable spheres has low solidity and is lightweight. For this reason, a cover is separated from the mattress in the case in which the cover is put on the mattress in a conventional manner. Consequently, the cover must be fixed to the mattress using strings. To this end, in the present invention, strings of the cover are tied to a webbing loop 34, which is formed by stitching webbing ribbons horizontally along the outer wall 32 of the tunnel at intervals.

The features of the technical solution of the present invention that are different from Cited Patent Document 1 are as follows:

First, columns 40, which are configured to be pressed:

In Cited Patent Document 1, the interior of a mattress is partitioned into several sections using partitioning walls in order to restrain a phenomenon in which the mattress undulates or the spheres are lumpy or depressed. In the present invention, however, columns 40, which are configured to be pressed, may be arranged in the mattress (see FIG. 4). As a result, the fluidizable spheres 50 may freely move in the entirety of the container 70, which is filled with the spheres 50, without interference of the partitioning walls while solving a problem of partial weight distribution based on the independent sections, as in Cited Patent Document 1, whereby it is possible to achieve a high floating effect caused by uniform weight distribution based on general dynamic equilibrium.

In addition, swelling of the spheres may be appropriately controlled, and therefore it is possible to reduce the height of the container 70, whereby it is possible to considerably reduce the required quantity of spheres.

Second, a tunnel 30:

In Cited Patent Document 1, a tube, which is fully filled with spheres, is attached using strings along the edge of a mattress in order to secure supportability of the edge of the mattress. On the other hand, in the present invention, a tunnel 30 is formed along the edge of the mattress, and the tunnel may be fully filled with spheres, whereby it is possible to improve productivity and to improve integrated unity while maintaining supportability of the edge of the mattress.

Third, a fan kit 60:

Up to now, all mattresses are used in the same condition irrespective of winter or summer. In the present invention, however, a fan kit 60, which includes several small fans 60, which generate little noise and are controlled by a programmable controller 62, the fans being operated such that the mattress is cool in summer, and heaters 61 coupled to the respective fans, the heaters being operated such that the mattress is warm in winter, may be separately provided such that the fan kit can be attached to the lower plate 10 of the mattress in a DIY manner.

This is possible because the interior of the mattress is filled with spheres having a large diameter, and therefore an empty space is wide and open in all directions, whereby ventilation is well achieved through gaps defined between smooth surfaces of the spheres, and the floatable mattress is made of a mesh having holes formed therein or a 3D mesh.

Advantageous Effects

Floating Effect:

The highest virtue of a floatable mattress filled with fluidizable spheres is that, when pressure applied to a stationary fluid in a hermetically sealed space is changed at an arbitrary point, the pressure spreads over the entirety of the fluid without being reduced according to Pascal's law and that the fluidizable spheres 50 move in the state of being in tight contact with the curved shape of the human body due to the weight of the human body, and therefore the weight of the human body is evenly distributed over the curved surface of the human body, whereby the same vector force is applied perpendicularly to the mattress.

This is an effect that is fundamentally different from the effect obtained by cushions using sponges, such as memory foam, or springs, which act only in the vertically downward direction due to gravity.

As indicated by vector arrows shown in FIG. 2, it can be seen that the same pressure is distributed, at an angle of 90 degrees, to the protruding portions, the depressed portions, and vertical surfaces of the floatable mattress that contact the human body.

In this case, a floating effect is provided as if a person were floating on the Dead Sea, and therefore pressure is not intensively applied to even the protruding portions of the human body in the vertically downward direction but is distributed along the curved surfaces of the human body that contacts the mattress while having the same vector, unlike sponge or spring mattresses, whereby it is possible to give soft comfort to the person.

Dynamic Equilibrium:

For a side sleeper, the weight of the sleeper concentrates on the greatly protruding portions, such as shoulders and arms, of the sleeper, whereby the sleeper may feel an oppressive sensation. In a severe case, various diseases may be caused.

Such a phenomenon does not occur in a floatable mattress. The reason for this is that a vector generated by the human body that presses the mattress and vector generated by the spheres 50 in the mattress that supports the human body are in complete equilibrium irrespective of the overall shape of the human body that contacts the mattress.

This equilibrium provides stability as if the human body were hugged tightly.

Consequently, it is possible to achieve a state of immediate balance in the shape of the human body that is changed due to toss and turn during sleeping, i.e. dynamic equilibrium.

Medical Effect:

6 to 8 minutes after a person lies on a mattress while facing upwards (a back sleeper), a loud sound, such as rumbling, is generated from the internal organs of the person, from which anyone can confirm that the internal organs operate actively.

Cited Magazine Document 1 well describes an effect of treatment about stress of a floating effect.

Sanitation:

For a sponge mattress, dandruff and skin keratin are absorbed into the mattress together with sweat through a strong pumping action based on pressure and release of the human body due to toss and turn during sleeping. As a result, the mattress provides a good habitat of various fungi, molds, and ticks. In addition, fragments are generated from the sponge over time, whereby air in the room is greatly contaminated. This is particularly serious in dry winter.

This problem also occurs in a spring mattress, since the spring mattress is configured such that sponge padding is added in order to soften the surfaces of springs that contact the skin of the human body.

A method capable of fundamentally solving such a serious problem occurring in the conventional mattresses has not yet been proposed.

In the floating mattress according to the present invention, the spheres, which fill the interior of the mattress, as well as the inside and outside skin of the mattress can be completely washed using a washing machine for home use.

Ventilation:

The upper plate 2 of the mattress is made of a coarse spandex mesh, and the inner and outer walls 32 and 33 and the lower plate 10 of the mattress are made of a mesh having large-sized holes formed therein or a 3D mesh. In addition, half of the interior of the container 70, which is filled with the spheres 50, is empty, and therefore the interior of the container is open in all directions, whereby good ventilation is achieved.

Lightweight:

The mattress is filled with wood beads having low specific gravity or lightweight hollow spheres 50, whereby it is possible to reduce the weight of the mattress.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an X-X′ sectional view showing a floatable mattress using spheres as a fluid according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view showing that weight is evenly distributed regardless of the curved shape of the human body that contacts the mattress according to Pascal's law of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the present invention with a corner being cut.

FIG. 4 is a view showing the arrangement of columns, which are configured to be pressed, of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing columns, which are configured to be pressed, formed using fishing lines of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing the construction of columns, which are configured to be pressed, formed using webbing strings of the present invention.

BEST MODE

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The construction of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 3. A container 70, which is formed by coupling a lower plate 10 and an upper plate 20 to a tunnel 30 surrounding the edge of a mattress 80, is filled with spheres 50. The lower plate 10 is made of a stiff mesh having no elasticity or a 3D mesh, inner and outer walls 32 and 33 of the tunnel 30 are made of a 3D mesh, and the upper plate 20, which contacts the human body, is made of a spandex mesh.

Columns 40, which are configured to be pressed, are arranged in the container 70 thus configured (see FIG. 4), and the container is filled with the spheres in order to manufacture a floatable mattress. Consequently, it is possible to restrain a phenomenon in which the mattress undulates, crowds, lumps, or floats, a fluid comes into tight contact with the human body that lies on the mattress along the curved shape of the human body, whereby it is possible to achieve dynamic equilibrium, and it is possible to obtain a floating effect in which the weight of the human body is evenly distributed over the surface of the human body that contact the mattress.

It is very inefficient and impossible, in terms of manufacture, to put up the columns 40, which are configured to be pressed, which are a core of the present invention, between the upper plate 20 and the lower plate 10 of the mattress one by one. Consequently, the following solutions may be proposed according to the present invention.

According to an embodiment shown in FIG. 5, nylon fishing lines 41 having a size of No. 6 or higher, which become the columns 40, which are configured to be pressed, are connected to wide webbing tapes 43 at regular intervals such that the webbing tapes are arranged in parallel to each other, and the webbing tapes are stitched to the lower plate 10 and the upper plate 20 of the mattress.

According to another embodiment shown in FIG. 6, webbing strings 42, which become the columns 40, which are configured to be pressed, are connected to wide webbing tapes 43 at regular intervals such that the webbing tapes are arranged in parallel to each other, and the webbing tapes are stitched to the lower plate 10 and the upper plate 20 of the mattress.

When the columns 40, which are configured to be pressed, are stitched to the upper plate 20 and the lower plate 10, cotton tapes 24 are added along stitching lines 23 in order to maintain secure stitching.

For convenience in using the floatable mattress, equilibrium plates 22 made of cotton may be widely added in width.

In Patent Document 1, the interior of the container of the mattress is partitioned into hermetically sealed independent sections, whereby an injection port 31 must be formed in each section. In the present invention, however, the interior of the container 70, which is filled with spheres, is open in all directions, whereby it is possible to inject the spheres into the container through a single injection port 31 formed in the lower plate, and the tunnel 30 may be filled with spheres by injecting the spheres through a single injection port 31 formed in the lower plate or through two injection ports formed in the lower plate so as to be disposed diagonally. At this time, all injection ports are formed so as to have a pipe shape such that a bottleneck phenomenon does not occur when spheres are injected.

The spheres may be easily removed from the mattress such that the spheres can be washed using a washing machine for home use, and then the mattress may be filled with the washed spheres.

A nylon stitching thread of 210D/6 or higher must be used as a sewing thread for stitching the columns 40, which are configured to be pressed, to the lower plate 10 and the upper plate 20 of the floatable mattress, and the same is equally applied to all sewing threads used for the floatable mattress. However, adding is an exception.

The pressure applied to the mattress is the sum of the weight of the human body and acceleration. If this condition is neglected, the sewing thread may be cut, and a large quantity of spheres may be discharged out of the mattress.

In the case in which a separate container, which serves as the inside skin of the mattress, is inserted into the mattress, it is not necessary to remove the spheres, which fill the mattress, from the mattress in order to wash the spheres and then to fill the mattress with the washed spheres. The inside skin container, which is filled with the spheres, may be separated from the outside skin of the mattress, and may be introduced into a washing machine such that the spheres can be washed together with the inside skin container.

A fan kit 60 including several small fans, which generate little noise and are controlled by a programmable controller 62, may be mounted under the mattress such that the mattress is cool in summer. In addition, heaters 61, which are attached to the respective fans, may be operated such that the mattress is warm in winter. These components may be mounted in a DIY manner. These components may also serve to remove moisture.

The fluidizable spheres, which fill the interior of the container 70 of the mattress, are vitally important to the floatable mattress.

The size and specific gravity of the spheres have an absolute influence to the fluidity of the spheres. Consequently, the present invention proposes optimal specifications in consideration of the weight of the mattress while calculating costs through computation and a lot of experiments.

The specifications of a fluidizable hollow sphere 50 are set as follows: the diameter Φ of the fluidizable hollow sphere is 6 to 8 mm, the thickness t of the skin of the fluidizable hollow sphere is 0.2 to 0.5 mm, and the density ρ of the fluidizable hollow sphere is 0.3 g/cm³ or less. In addition, the fluidizable hollow sphere is made of a synthetic resin, which has strength at which the fluidizable hollow sphere is not deformed by a lowest force of 12 N and has a low coefficient of surface friction such that the fluidizable hollow sphere well slides so as to serve as a smooth fluid.

Another fluidizable hollow sphere has a diameter Φ of 10 to 12 mm and a density ρ of 0.2 g/cm³ or less, and is made of a synthetic resin, whereby this fluidizable hollow sphere is lighter than the former.

In the case in which a sphere is formed by foaming a synthetic resin, a smooth sphere 50, the surface of which is reinforced and which has a density ρ of 0.3 g/cm³ or less, a little elasticity in which the sphere is not deformed by a force of 6 N, and a diameter Φ of 6 mm to 8 mm, is formed.

A wood sphere 50 is made of a wood having a density ρ of 0.3 g/cm³ or less and a diameter Φ of 6 to 8 mm.

Another wood sphere 50 has a diameter Φ of 10 to 12 mm. In the case in which the diameter of wood spheres is large, the required quantity of wood spheres is smaller than in the case in which the diameter of wood spheres is small, whereby it is possible to considerably reduce costs.

Small spheres provide soft contact with the skin and high comfort; however, costs are high.

On the other hand, in the case in which the mattress is filled with large spheres, costs are low; however, soft contact with the skin is slightly deteriorated.

The size and density of the spheres have an influence on the fluidity of the spheres.

In the case in which the density of the spheres approximates to 1 g/cm³ and the diameter of the spheres is small, the fluidity of the spheres is considerably reduced. On the other hand, in the case in which the spheres are excessively lightweight, the spheres are pushed by the pressure of the human body due to high fluidity thereof, whereby the protruding portions of the human body may strike the bottom of the mattress.

The present invention proposes the structure of optimal spheres and a floatable mattress considering the above characteristics.

The floatable mattress is not fixed in form. For this reason, a cover is separated from the mattress in the case in which the cover is put on the mattress as in a conventional mattress. In order to fix the cover, therefore, strings of the cover are tied to a loop 34, which is formed by stitching webbing ribbons along the outer wall 32 of the tunnel 30 at intervals (see FIGS. 3 and 4).

In the case in which the cover is made of cotton tricot, the cover coincides with a concept of the upper plate 20 of the floatable mattress being made of a spandex mesh.

Nevertheless, in the case in which the cover is made of plain weave fabric, an elastic band may be attached so as to be easily tied to the ribbon loop 34.

In the detailed description of the present invention, as described above, concrete embodiments have been described; however, the specifications of the present invention propose the optimal values, and therefore fall within the appended claims. In addition, even in the case in which different specifications are used due to difficulties in manufacturing spheres, these specifications also fall within the claims, since the same principle and the same category are applied thereto. 

1. A floatable mattress filled with fluidizable spheres, wherein the floatable mattress is configured to have a structure in which a plurality of columns, which are configured to be pressed, are arranged in a container, which is formed by stitching a lower plate and an upper plate of the mattress along a wall of a tunnel, which is filled with lightweight spheres, so as to connect the lower plate and the upper plate to each other, whereby the container is filled with the spheres.
 2. The floatable mattress according to claim 1, wherein each of the spheres is a hollow sphere having a diameter (Φ) of 6 to 8 mm and made of a synthetic resin.
 3. The floatable mattress according to claim 2, wherein each of the spheres has a density (ρ) of 0.3 g/cm³ or less.
 4. The floatable mattress according to claim 2, wherein each of the spheres has strength by which the sphere is not deformed by a lowest force of 12 N.
 5. The floatable mattress according to claim 1, wherein each of the spheres is a hollow sphere having a diameter (Φ) of 10 mm to 12 mm and made of a synthetic resin.
 6. The floatable mattress according to claim 5, wherein each of the spheres has a density (ρ) of 0.2 g/cm³ or less.
 7. The floatable mattress according to claim 5, wherein each of the spheres has strength by which the sphere is not deformed by a lowest force of 12 N.
 8. The floatable mattress according to claim 1, wherein, when each of the spheres is formed by foaming a synthetic resin, the sphere has a density (ρ) of 0.3 g/cm³ or less.
 9. The floatable mattress according to claim 8, wherein each of the spheres is not deformed by a lowest force of 6 N.
 10. The floatable mattress according to claim 1, wherein each of the spheres is a wood sphere having a density (ρ) of 0.3 g/cm³ or less.
 11. The floatable mattress according to claim 10, wherein each of the spheres has a diameter (Φ) of 6 mm to 8 mm.
 12. The floatable mattress according to claim 10, wherein each of the spheres has a diameter (Φ) of 10 mm to 12 mm.
 13. The floatable mattress according to claim 1, wherein each of the columns, which are configured to be pressed, is made of a nylon fishing line having a size of No. 6 or higher.
 14. The floatable mattress according to claim 13, wherein the fishing lines are connected to wide webbing tapes at regular intervals such that the webbing tapes are arranged in parallel to each other, and the webbing tapes are stitched to the lower plate and the upper plate of the mattress.
 15. The floatable mattress according to claim 1, wherein each of the columns, which are configured to be pressed, is made of a webbing string.
 16. The floatable mattress according to claim 15, wherein the webbing strings are connected to wide webbing tapes at regular intervals such that the webbing tapes are arranged in parallel to each other, and the webbing tapes are stitched to the lower plate and the upper plate of the mattress.
 17. The floatable mattress according to claim 14, wherein webbing tapes are added along stitching lines such that the wide webbing tapes are securely stitched to the upper plate and the lower plate of the mattress.
 18. The floatable mattress according to claim 1, wherein thick cotton canvas is added to an upper plate of the tunnel.
 19. The floatable mattress according to claim 1, wherein a wall of the tunnel is made of a 3D mesh.
 20. The floatable mattress according to claim 1, wherein webbing ribbons, which serve as a loop, are stitched along an outer wall of the mattress at intervals in parallel such that strings of a cover of the mattress are tied to the webbing ribbons.
 21. The floatable mattress according to claim 1, wherein a nylon stitching thread of 210d/6 at minimum is used as a sewing thread for stitching fabric of the mattress such that stitched portions do not rupture even at high pressure.
 22. The floatable mattress according to claim 1, wherein a fan kit is separately provided such that several small-capacity fans, to which heaters are coupled, are attached to the lower plate of the mattress in a DIY manner. 